This Love
by Damon-Salvatore-Fan
Summary: Elena and Damon are best friends but Elena is in love with Damon. The problem is that he is engaged to Katherine. Will Elena ever tell Damon her true feelings? Rated T for suggestive themes. Pairings: D/K with eventual D/E and S/K. All human.
1. Chapter 1

**So, here is a new story for you. I hope you like it! It's been saved in my fanfic folder for a while so I thought I'd see whether people liked it.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own TVD.**

* * *

><p>Elena Gilbert watched them, her heart smashing into tiny pieces. It killed her to watch them. She had told herself to leave so, so many times. To save herself. Find happiness elsewhere. Her best friends, Bonnie Bennett and Caroline Forbes, have told her too. However, then she sees <em>him a<em>nd it all changes. She couldn't bring herself leave him - even if he isn't hers. He had such a power over her, yet he doesn't even know it. All he has to do is click his fingers and she'll go running. She was that much in love with him.

So who is this person? It was none other than Damon Salvatore. They were brought together, when she and his brother, Stefan, became friends. Then Elena and Damon met and hit it off immediately. They had the same taste in everything; music, movies, the lot. They got on like a house on fire. Elena and Stefan were never together. However, they were best friends and always were. They were like brother and sister. She couldn't deny though, that he was hot. She'd have to be blind not to notice. But the relationship between Stefan and Elena could never be anything more than just brother and sister and they both knew that.

So there she was, pining after the man she can't have. Why? He was engaged - to Katherine Pierce. They were in love – she could see it and it killed her time and time again.

"Elena…" Caroline said to her with sad eyes. "You've got to move on. This is not good for you." Caroline had said this time and time again but to no avail. Elena paid no attention and continued pining.

Elena just shook her head at blonde friend. "I want him, Car. I can't help it." she whispered. She watched him as his gorgeous black hair blew gently in the wind. Oh, how she longed to run her hand through it.

Suddenly, the inevitable happened; Damon spotted her and waved her over. And once again, like a puppet on a string, she obeyed. "Elena, there you are. I've been wondering where you were." He beamed brightly. She faked a smile, not wanting to show that her heart was breaking as she saw Damon's arm around Katherine's waist. "Katherine has a question for you." he said, smiling down at Katherine. She stared up at him, and Elena saw Damon nudge her.

"Oh, yes. Elena, would you be my bridesmaid?" she asked. But the way she asked made it sound like it wasn't _her_ idea at all. And that was the last straw. Without a thought for her dignity, she ran. She ran away from them. Faintly, she heard Damon call after her but she ignored him.

She ran and ran until she reached her house. Elena opened the front door and slammed it behind her. With all her energy gone, she collapsed onto the floor, her back against the door. She heard a loud banging and her name being shouted. It was Caroline and Bonnie. She stood up, opened the door and walked upstairs without a word to them.

Caroline and Bonnie found Elena sat on her bed, her knees drawn up to her chests. She was sobbing. "Oh, Elena!" Caroline cried. She hugged Elena from one side, Bonnie from the other.

"Katherine asked me to be her bridesmaid! But…I…don't think she wanted to. I…I think it was all D-Damon." she stammered.

Bonnie hugged her harder. "Damon asked me what was wrong. He told me what happened. I told you were just overwhelmed. Caroline ran after you." she told Elena. Through blood shot eyes, Elena peered at her two best friends.

"Did he buy it?" she asked dully. Bonnie shrugged sadly.

"I don't know. I think so." She said. Elena's phone started ringing. She took it out. It was Damon.

"No." Elena said and she pressed the reject button.

Caroline gently held her brunette friend's hand. "He's not going to give up. He'll just come round here." She reasoned and she was right of course. He would; he was as stubborn as she was. "If he rings again, answer it so he doesn't get suspicious."

Sure enough, her phone rang again. "Hello?"

"Elena! How are you? What's wrong? Are you alright?" he said worriedly.

She bit back a laugh, despite herself. "I'm fine, Damon. It's okay. I'm just a little overwhelmed, that's all. Okay? I've got to go, bye!" Elena said quickly and she hung up. She looked at her friends and they looked back disapprovingly.

"If he falls for that, then I don't know him." Bonnie sighed. Elena huffed and turned away.

"Elena, please. Listen to me. You're not going to get anywhere like this. Why can't you move on?" Caroline said shortly. Elena looked taken aback. "I'm sorry. I hate seeing you like this. Katherine seems like a nice enough person. Just let him live his life." Caroline tried to reason but Elena wasn't in the mood.

"Fine. Well, if you think she's such a lovely person, you go and be friends with her." Elena snapped and turned her back on them. Why can't they understand how I feel? Elena thought angrily. She expected to hear footsteps but she didn't. Slowly, she turned her head and saw that they were still there.

"You know I didn't mean that." Caroline said levelly. Elena didn't say anything. "Okay, Elena, I see you want to be by yourself. If you want to talk, well you know where we are." Elena nodded once and she heard Caroline and Bonnie leave.

As she sat there, facing the window, she thought back to all the memories she had with Damon. One in particular stuck out…

_It was one night during the summer two years ago. She, Caroline and Bonnie had officially finished school. It was just Damon and Elena. They had had a few drinks and they were drunk – drunk enough to make a difference. Although, for Elena, not drunk enough to forget the whole night. They were laughing and having a good time when Elena was overcome by this urge to kiss Damon. And she did. And Damon didn't pull away. _

Elena closed her eyes as she remembered the kiss.

_He didn't push her away and shout at her. He kissed back. Gently, he had pushed her back onto the sofa, him hovering over her. He ran his tongue along her bottom lip, requesting access, which she granted. Their tongues got involved in their own private dance. Damon pulled away, only to place gentle kisses on her neck, causing her to let out a low moan. A hand found its way down to the hem of Elena's top and grazed the skin there._

She opened her eyes, and blushed when she remembered what happened. She and Damon had never talked about. She was waiting for him to talk about it. But he never did, then it dawned her; perhaps he couldn't remember it…

XxX

Damon was puzzled. Why did Elena just leave like that? A part of him ached to be near her, to comfort her, to tell her everything was going to be okay. The other part was asking why he wanted that so much. Before long, he had an internal battle going on. He pushed it aside and walked off. He almost forgot Katherine who came scurrying after him.

"Ugh, Damie!" Katherine grinned. Damon tried not to shudder at his pet name. He hated it. "Don't worry about her. She's probably having her time of the month." She said insensitively.

Damon knew it wasn't as simple as that. Elena never got bad tempered about her 'time of the month'. If she did, it was very rare. He refused to believe Bonnie about Elena being overwhelmed, which meant he didn't believe Elena either. But when he tried to think of another explanation, he came up blank.

"Come on, I'll take you home." Damon said to his fiancée. All the time on the journey to her houses, she was babbling on about the wedding. He smiled and looked at her, her flowing blonde hair, her dark blue eyes. Oh, how he loved her…

He dropped her off at her house and went home. When he got back, he went straight to his room and thought about today. This is bothering me way more than it should, Damon thought, it was supposed to make her happy, not run off. He laid back on his bed, his arms behind his head and thought. Before he could control it, his mind automatically drifted to that drunken night, the night he spent with Elena, the night he'd made Elena think he'd forgotten about. He laughed humourlessly. How could he forget it?

It was nothing, he told himself, a night with his best friend of the opposite sex. I'm sure it happens all the time, he continued lamely. So why, after two years, was it still on his mind?

Damon groaned loudly and started slightly when his phone began ringing next to him. He picked it up and looked at the caller ID. It was Katherine. As much as he loved her, as he did, he wasn't in the mood to talk right now. He let it ring and as soon as it went off, he switched it off.

"Was Elena okay?" Stefan asked from the doorway.

Damon looked at his brother and shrugged. "She said she was overwhelmed, but if she thinks I believe that then she doesn't know me."

Stefan nodded. "So…what do you think is really wrong with her then?"

"I have no idea." He sighed.

Stefan tried not to laugh and his poor, unobservant brother. He couldn't see that Elena loved him. And then again, Damon couldn't see that Stefan loved Katherine either. Clearly, his older brother goes round with his eyes closed. Stefan left his brother to work out the truth, not that that will happen. He sighed. What were he and Elena like, falling for the ones they couldn't have? He knew only too well how things would simpler if he liked Elena, rather than Katherine. But he also knew that you couldn't help who you fell in love with.

Stefan's phone rang. Elena. "Hello." He said, as he answered.

"Stefan, where's Damon? He's not answering his phone." She sounded panicked.

He smiled. "Don't worry. I'm assuming he and Katherine have had a bit of domestic as he's switched his phone off and looking all broody." He replied.

Elena was quiet for a moment. "Oh, well, I hope they sort things out." She said evenly.

It was Stefan's turn to pause. "I don't." he said quietly.

"No, I don't either. Is that selfish?" she asked. Yes, Stefan thought, very selfish.

"It is. But you can't help how you feel." He added.

Elena sighed on the other end of the line. "Okay, well, tell him I tried to call, would you?" she asked.

"Yes, I will. Bye, Elena." And he hung up.

He walked up to Damon's room, resuming his previous position of leaning on the door frame. "Elena called." He said, watching Damon who was still lying on his bed. Stefan bit back the laugh when Damon's head snapped up at Elena's name. "She's been trying to call you but since you've had your phone off, she couldn't get through." Stefan said, almost lazily.

Stefan left as Damon slowly picked up his phone. He switched off his phone and once it was properly loaded up, he noticed he had three messages. All of them from Elena. He smiled faintly at her worried texts. His phone flashed with another text.

Damon opened up the new text and it said; _I rang Stefan and he told me your phone was off, something about a domestic with Katherine. Hope everything is okay :) xxx_

'A domestic with Katherine'? He figured it could have looked like if another party didn't know the full story. He let it slide.

Damon sighed and rang Elena. She answered after the second ring. "Damon?" her voice sounding tired but concerned.

"Hi. I'm okay. I was just tired and didn't feel like talking. I'm sorry if I scared you." he said, feeling relaxed.

"It's okay. Do you want me to go?" she asked Damon, hoping the answer would be 'no'.

"Of course not. Are you going to tell me what was wrong with you earlier?" Damon challenged.

Elena panicked. Why was he still asking? Can't he let it go? "It was just a rush of emotions. Silly, really, but I'm honestly fine now." she said, wanting Damon to drop it. But then again, she wanted so much from her best friend but she knew she wouldn't get it any time soon.

"Alright, Elena, I'll leave it. But if you decide to tell me what was really wrong, then feel free to. We are best friends, after all." Damon sounded irritated. Her stomach churned. _I would, but then that would spark a whole lot of questions._

Damon was annoyed now. What was so bad that she couldn't tell him? _Wouldn't_ tell him?

"I'm sorry, Damon. When the time is right, I will tell you." she replied, guilt filling her voice.

Damon sighed. "Thank you." he said, simply. After a while, they finished their conversation and Damon eventually fell asleep, Elena being the last thing on his mind.

XxX

Elena stared at the window for a while after her conversation with Damon. She yearned to tell him the truth but she couldn't. Not yet. She couldn't, knowing that her feelings wouldn't be returned.

I need to distract myself, Elena thought. If I want to remain being a part of his life, and him being a part of my life, I need to distract myself, try and move on. Make more of an effort to move on. A plan, but will it go through successfully?

* * *

><p><strong>What did you think? Your thoughts?<br>**

**I would like to say that there will be NO lemons in this story. The furthest I'll go is the suggestion of what could happen next, leave it to your imagination. If you don't like it, then find another story. **

**Please leave a review, telling me what you thought!**

**Bye!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Oh my God! Thank you for the reviews! I'm glad you all like it! I hope you like this chapter too. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own TVD.**

* * *

><p>The next morning, Damon woke with a start. He had this weird dream that he was falling and his body jerked violently with the dream. He vaguely wondered what that meant. He had a go at trying to remember what went on in the dream but it was too vague.<p>

He let it go as it didn't bother him too much. He was sure it had some hidden meaning but considering it was the morning – and he doesn't like mornings – he couldn't care less.

He got out of bed, undressing as he went. He had fallen asleep in his clothes from yesterday, and he groaned irritably. There was a sudden knock on the door. Not one to be ashamed of the way he looks – actually, quite the opposite – he quickly pulled on a pair of jeans and went to answer the door wearing only his jeans. No shirt or anything. But the person that was at the door was none other than Elena.

Elena held back the gasp that begged to be released. Damon, at the door, only wearing jeans. Her eyes wandered all over his amazing body. His six pack, his massive biceps, his chest muscles. Her stomach was fluttering happily.

"Erm, hi." Elena squeaked. She knew that Damon was…proud of the way he looked. Who could blame him, when he had girls falling over themselves for him?

Damon smiled. He noticed her eyes taking in his body. "Hello, like what you see?" he teased. Elena's eyes finally made their way to his face and glared – but it didn't last long and they were at his body again.

"No, I just…ahem…wanted to see you, that's all. Umm, shouldn't you put a shirt on or something?" she said. She started thinking that if he didn't do that soon, she'd leap at him.

Damon was enjoying himself. "Hmm, I don't think so. I mean, it is a Sunday so, no I don't think so."

_Bastard_, Elena thought. Elena stepped past him ignoring him. She said good morning to Stefan who raised an eyebrow at the whole situation. She could see that he thought better than to ask.

She went to the kitchen, helping herself to a glass of orange juice. "Excuse me, Miss Gilbert, what gives you the right to help yourself to our orange juice?" Damon teased from the doorway.

Elena paused and raised an eyebrow. "The fact that I have been coming here for several years now." she retorted to him as Damon stepped nearer to her.

He was very close to her now. She put her glass down, afraid to drop it due to Damon being so close. He was only inches away, both staring into each other's eyes. At this moment, she knew exactly why she fell in love with him. A voice was yelling at her that this was wrong, so wrong, but she ignored it. She couldn't help herself.

Damon looked at his best friend, Katherine completely out of his mind. It was just Damon and Elena. No one else existed but them. He leaned in closer, his hands placed on her hips. But then it all changed. Elena's eyes darkened and she shoved Damon away hard.

"What is this, Damon? Have you heard of Katherine Pierce? You know? Your _fiancée?_" Elena cried. Damon's eyes changed.

"Katherine…" he breathed.

"Was this all some game to you? Did you want to see how far I'd go with you? Was this some trick to try and get the truth out of me? You know what, Damon? You can just piss off! If this is how you treat your friends, then I don't want to be your friend!" she yelled, tears streaming down her face. She ran out of the house before he could respond.

Elena knew how she was probably overreacting massively, but she wouldn't be used as someone's 'bit on the side'. Not for anyone! She knew that any other girl in the same situation would have gone through with it, at his command, but not her. No matter how much she loved him. She wanted all of him, not just his sex.

She jumped into her car and ignored Damon's yelling for her. She viciously swiped at her tears and drove. She kept driving until she came across a park over looking fields. She stopped here and sat on the grass. It was nice and peaceful which is what she needed right now. Somewhere to think.

XxX

Damon watched as he lost his best friend. She drove away, looking sad and hurt. He knew what she was thinking. She thought that he was using her for a bit of fun.

The truth is that he didn't know what he was doing – and he knew she wouldn't believe him. He completely forgot he had a fiancée, he forgot about Katherine and he'd never done that before. He loved her. So what was he doing? He couldn't answer any of the questions she yelled at him. And she had every right to shout at him.

"Oh, this is going to take a lot of grovelling." Damon muttered to himself.

XxX

Elena lay back on the grass and stared up at the clear blue sky, with only a few puffs of white cloud. She sighed and watched the clouds go by.

Why did she run off? It was what she wanted, wasn't it? She wanted him and he was handing himself to her on a plate and she pushed him away. Why? Because of Katherine, she knew that. She didn't like her much but she couldn't do that to anyone. She sat up and looked straight ahead at the fields.

She wanted him and a part of him clearly wanted her as well. So what if he liked her too? She's wanted him for so long now. She was aching to kiss him again. It's been two years since that night…

"_Damoooon!" Elena sang, slightly slurred, lolling on the sofa. Damon was slumped on the floor, his back against the sofa. She had a large glass of vodka and orange which was spilling every so often and Elena was oblivious to it. "Sit up here next to me!" she giggled._

_Damon's head fell back and his head was lying on the cushion. He laughed loudly. "You're upside down." he pointed vaguely._

"_Noooo! You are! Up here!" she patted the space next to her. After a long couple of minutes, Damon hauled himself onto the sofa, next to Elena._

_He slumped back on to the back cushions and Elena looked over at the dark haired man. She was sober enough to know what she was doing when she leaned closer to him. She didn't stop and she kissed him. He didn't pull away. In fact, he held her closer, not wanting her to go._

That night will never leave her. She loved it but at the same time, it tore at her, knowing that it won't happen again. She remembered back to the next morning…

_Elena woke up with a splitting headache. She looked around herself. She wasn't wearing anything, and she blushed as she looked next to her. Damon. In his bed. She could remember last night well. Apparently, she didn't drink enough to forget._

_Panicking, she rushed out of bed, getting dressed along the way, her heart thudding violently when she dared to glance Damon who was still sleeping. She ran downstairs and into the kitchen. She couldn't leave without facing Damon. She paced the kitchen until she heard the toilet flush._

_Oh, crap! Elena thought nervously. She went apprehensively, getting some orange juice. She heard footsteps and watched as Damon appeared in the doorway, wearing a shirt and jeans._

"_Morning," he said casually. Her heart skipped a beat. Did he remember? Was he angry? _

"_Uhh, morning." She said._

_Damon clutched his head. "Do you remember what happened last night? My head is banging!" he said, looking for aspirin._

_Elena coughed, trying to cover up a squeak. He didn't remember. He was too drunk. "Umm, no, sorry. I've got to go." And she ran out of the house._

She bit on her bottom lip and thought about it. If he didn't remember, maybe she should help jog his memory…he was dating Katherine at the time so he has already deceived her. She should talk to him, she decided as the sudden epiphany hit her. She should. Sure, it will cause tension between them, but he has to know.

"Elena?" she jumped at the voice. She turned and saw Tyler Lockwood looking at her.

"Oh, hello, Tyler." She said faking a smile.

"Are you okay? You looked out of it." he asked sitting next to her.

Elena smiled at him, genuinely this time. "I'm fine, thanks. Just daydreaming."

XxX

Damon decided on the spot that he should go after her, explain himself, not that he knew how. He went into the house, but was stopped by Stefan.

"What the hell is going on, Damon?" Stefan snapped.

Damon glared at his brother. "I don't want to talk about it, Stefan. Now, get out the way. I need to talk to Elena." He ordered but Stefan didn't move. "So, I made a move on Elena, okay? Don't give me the pep talk; I'm not in the mood. Now, move!" Damon growled. This time, Stefan did move.

Damon stormed into his room, finding a shirt. He picked out a dark blue shirt and he picked up his leather jacket and keys on the way out. He got into his car and drove, trying to find Elena. He drove through quiet roads, keeping an eye out. At last, he spotted Elena's car, parked near a park. Quietly, he got out of his car, and walked around looking for her.

Then, he heard her voice. Stealthily he walked through the trees and stopped when he saw her sitting and talking with Tyler Lockwood.

_Well they look cosy_, he thought, watching with narrowed eyes. He sighed quietly, realising that he didn't come out here to spy on her, but to talk to her.

"Elena," he spoke loudly. Tyler looked towards Damon who glared back at Tyler. Elena looked back up at him.

"What?" she asked shortly.

"I want to talk to you." when Tyler didn't move, he said dangerously, "alone." And he glared even more. Without a word, Tyler moved away.

Elena pursed her lips and stood up too. "What the hell are you playing at?" she snapped.

"I want to try and explain myself."

"I don't mean that. Being rude to Tyler when all he was doing was being a friend." Elena looked up at the black haired man standing in front of her.

Damon scoffed. "A friend, yeah, of course. I saw the way he was looking at you."

Elena was shocked. "Oh, so what if he does like me? You don't run my life, Damon. If I want to date him, I will. You have Katherine, it's only fair that I should have someone." She sneered.

Damon was silent for the moment. "Elena, I know but…I'm just looking out for you. I don't like him, Elena." He tried to remain calm. He couldn't explain his actions at the moment. What was wrong with him?

"I don't like him much either. But for that one moment, he was being close to a friend. I don't want to date him, but I don't want you to start thinking that you run my life." She said. In all honesty, Damon _was_ running her life but he wasn't aware of that of course. He was the reason why she hadn't dated anyone in the past year or so.

Damon sat heavily on the ground. Elena stood awkwardly for a moment before copying him. "I'm sorry, Elena." He said, apologizing for so many things.

Elena looked at his face, the sun shining off of him. "I know." She looked out to the horizon, toying about whether she should say to him what she's been meaning to say for two years.

Damon spoke, bringing her out of her thoughts. "I don't know what happened this morning. It was crazy. I hope I haven't lost you." he said quietly, one hand rubbing the back of his neck.

Elena's heart went out to him. "You haven't. Trust me, you haven't." she said the latter mainly to herself, but Damon heard.

Damon smiled softly. "Is that supposed to have some hidden meaning?" he asked.

_Yes._ "No, of course not." Elena lied as smoothly as she could. Why was she lying to him?

She wanted so much just to talk to him about that night. She hadn't even told Bonnie and Caroline. They'd flip. Especially Caroline. Not even Stefan knows, though he, like Bonnie and Caroline, knew of Elena's feelings for Damon. But she was too scared to talk about it; about what they'd think. Especially what Damon would think. She sighed softly; where had her previous courage gone? She was so set on telling him, but now, here she is, giving up.

Damon watched his best friend closely. Something was wrong, he knew it. He hadn't seen it before, too involved with Katherine to notice. He felt a pang; he'd been practically ignoring his best friend. The only comfort is that she's also got Bonnie and Caroline.

"I'm sorry," Damon said again.

Elena giggled. "You've already said that, Damon." she smiled pleasantly.

"I know. It's just…I feel like for the past few months…since I announced the engagement, that I have been ignoring a bit." Damon said not looking at Elena. She turned to him and looked at his face. He looked at her too and Elena looked away.

"It's okay, I understand." She smiled a fake smile.

Damon put an arm around Elena's shoulders. They used to sit like this a lot, until he and Katherine became more serious. They started going out two and a half years, it was before that night.

Elena grinned to herself and leaned into Damon's embrace. She made herself more comfortable, moving closer to Damon. She had her head on his shoulder, and carefully, inconspicuously, inhaled his scent. He had his own scent; it was unique, Elena couldn't describe it. But she loved it and she smiled wider.

Elena wanted to stay there forever but she knew she couldn't. "We can't stay here all day." She said pulling away.

Damon's arm fell limply at his side. "Elena?" he looked over at me. Elena turned to him. "You're my best friend in the whole world. You're amazing. Of course I love you. You're like a sister to me. More than that even. I just want you to know that." He smiled a dazzling smile.

Sister, yeah, of course, Elena thought gloomily. She smiled as brightly as she could. "Thanks, Damon." she said, moving further away. She paused for a moment. "Damon…what do you remember about that night two years ago? When we got drunk?"

* * *

><p><strong>What did you think? Let me know in a review!<strong> I hope this was ok, not confusing at all. Of course, if you have any questions, I'll answer them as much as I can.<strong>  
><strong>

**Thanks again for the reviews!**

**Bye!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks to all the reviews! Here's another chapter for you. There's a whole lot of confusion for a favourite characters. Hopefully, not too confusing for my readers though :) Hope you like it :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own TVD.**

* * *

><p>"Damon…what do you remember about that night two years ago? When we got drunk?"<p>

Damon froze. He knew this day would come but did it have to be now when they having a moment? Damon looked at Elena's face which was slowly growing impatient.

"Damon, answer me." Elena urged.

Damon continued to look at her. "Yes."

Elena breathed deeply. "Yes, you will answer me or yes, you remember that night?"

Damon closed his eyes and ran a hand through his hair. "I remember that night." He whispered. It was utter silence and Damon dared to open his eyes. Elena looked shocked, upset and hurt.

Elena held back the tears that threatened to fall. "So, you're saying that you've always known about that night but pretended to be too drunk to remember it?" she summarised, her voice thick with her trying to hold back the tears.

Damon nodded. Elena coughed. "Why didn't you say anything?" she asked quietly.

"I thought you'd be embarrassed and I had only just started dating Katherine at the time." Damon mumbled pathetically.

Elena continued to fight the tears. "Were _you_ embarrassed about it, Damon? Was I that bad that you couldn't bring yourself to talk about it?" she began to shout, tears now streaming down her face.

Damon stared at Elena horrified. "Of course not! Don't be silly! I just thought…it would be awkward, considering we're best friends." He said lamely.

Elena wouldn't buy it. "No! The way it _should_ be is that we should have been able to talk about it _because_ we're best friends!" she yelled, standing up.

Damon was beginning to feel fed up. "Stop putting words into my mouth, Elena." He said, quietly but still held power.

"I'm not! I'm just telling the truth! How do you think I've felt for the past two years, thinking you didn't know about it? I've been wanting to talk to you about ever since it happened! And I couldn't because you…and Katherine…" she broke off, covering her mouth with her hand.

Damon put his hands over his face and dragged them down, frustrated. "Elena, will you stop it? Katherine is one of the reasons why I didn't talk to you about it. I was afraid she'd find out." Damon's voice was still level but there was a note of anger and frustration there.

Elena laughed humourlessly once. "Like I believe it. Just tell the truth, Damon! You thought I was crap, therefore didn't want to embarrass yourself further!" Elena taunted, wanting him to react.

Sure enough, he did. He jumped to his feet. "Elena! Goddammit! It wasn't that! It was because you were too good!" he shouted before realising what he said. Damon snapped his mouth shut, as Elena looked back up at him, shocked. "There. Happy now?" he muttered, looking away. He vaguely noticed that they were alone, so they weren't in danger of being overheard.

Elena's earlier battle of right and wrong was forgotten. She acted on impulse as she grabbed the man she has longed for, for so long. She kissed him, hanging on for dear life. Damon was shocked before he finally reacted. One hand was holding the back of her head, whilst the other was on the small of her back. Elena's arms were thrown around Damon's neck in a death lock hold. Their kisses were becoming more passionate and Elena put as much love as she could muster into them.

Then all too soon, her rational side of her brain kicked in. Elena stopped kissing him and pulled away. She threw her hands to her face.

"Oh, Damon, what are we doing?" she whined.

Damon looked at her, feeling very confused. "I have no idea." He whispered.

"I have to go." Elena hiccupped. She walked past Damon and practically ran to her car. She drove back to her house.

As she drove, she started to cry again. What am I doing? Elena scolded herself. He's a soon-to-be married man and she just snogged the wits out of him. She couldn't believe she did that; she went against all her beliefs on a wild moment of selfishness.

She did the one thing she could think as soon as she was parked. She rang Bonnie. "Hello?"

"Bonnie!" she sobbed.

"Elena! What's wrong?" Bonnie panicked over the phone. "Come over!" she ordered and Elena did so.

She drove to Bonnie's house and she was greeted by Bonnie's hug as soon as she knocked on the front door.

"Oh, Bonnie. I've done something really bad." Elena wept.

"What's happened?" she asked when they were in Bonnie's room. Elena told her everything, including two years ago. Bonnie listened silently as Elena confessed and cried. When Elena had finished, Bonnie was quiet. "Well, I'm shocked that it's taken two years to tell me this. About that night. And I guess that would have happened at some point. No, I am not calling you a slut. Your feelings were bound to get the better of you, even if it's a moment or a night." Bonnie said.

"I'm sorry, Bonnie. But what can I do? I love him but I have no idea of his feelings for me. And what about Katherine? She might be a bit of bitch, but she doesn't deserve this." Elena said thickly.

Bonnie thought for a moment. "You need to talk to him. Properly talk to him. A proper heart-to-heart." She advised strongly. "Perhaps not now, but maybe tomorrow. You're both free tomorrow, no work or anything, so there's nothing to get in the way." She added.

Elena listened and eventually nodded. "Thank you, Bonnie, you're the best." She hugged her best friend. "Please don't tell anyone. Not even Caroline. Not yet at least."

"Of course not, you tell her when you want to." Bonnie nodded.

XxX

Elena was now back at her house. She was in her room, sitting on her bed. She had her computer on next to her and she was looking at pictures of her favourite actor, Ian Somerhalder.

_You're so hot, but why do you have to look like Damon?_ She sighed and shook her head. Elena began thinking about the advice Bonnie gave earlier. She was right, of course. She and Damon did need to talk. She picked up her phone with shaking hands. She brought up a new message and typed; _We need to talk._ No kisses, she thought, shows that I'm serious.

XxX

Damon watched as Elena ran from him, the second time today. He rubbed his face again. _What a mess._ What was he to do? He was so confused. He didn't understand anything anymore. His mind was mess. How could he kiss Elena like that, even though Elena kissed _him_? _You still kissed back_, the little voice in his mind said, _you could've pushed her away_. He loved Katherine, didn't he? Did he?

Damon began to doubt himself, so to prove to himself that he still loved Katherine, he rang her. "Hey, baby." Katherine giggled.

"Hey, sweetie. You free?" he asked.

"For you, I'm always free." She sighed happily. Damon paused, a guilty pang stabbing at him.

"Okay, I'll pick you up in five minutes." He said and he hung up. He walked quickly to his car, and turned the ignition, the engine rumbling to life. The engine purred as he pulled away, back along the quiet roads, towards Katherine's house.

He pulled up outside her house, beeping the horn. She appeared seconds later, walking quickly to his car. She jumped in and kissed him sweetly. He closed his eyes tightly, the guilty pang still there.

"So where are we going?" she looked over at him suggestively.

Damon flashed his brilliant smile. "Well, I thought we could go back to mine, if you want?" he asked.

"Of course." She said, kissing him again.

Within five minutes, they were at the Salvatore house and were going to Damon's room. Katherine sat on his bed and Damon sat next to her, leaning in close to Katherine and kissing her. Katherine put a hand behind Damon's head, pulling him closer. They were now lying on the bed, Damon hovering over Katherine. His hands ran up and down the side of Katherine's torso, causing her to shiver. In the back of Damon's mind, a voice was saying how this wasn't as good as with Elena, but he pushed back as far as he could.

All too soon, Damon's phone buzzed. They broke apart and Damon picked up his phone. As he checked his phone, Katherine started kissing his neck. He looked at his message which was from Elena and it said, very simply; _We need to talk._

Of course they do, he knew that. "Who is it?" Katherine asked.

"Elena." He answered her.

Katherine broke away from him and rolled her eyes. "Ugh, her again? Why are you friends with her?" she asked.

Anger boiled in Damon's chest. "She's my best friend, Katherine. Try and be nice." He muttered, getting off of her.

"Yeah, but she texts you all the time!" she moaned.

"Yeah? How about your mate, Elijah? And Stefan? They're both male and you text them all the time!" Damon raised his voice.

Katherine's mouth snapped shut. Then she spoke again. "They're just friends of mine." She whispered.

"Exactly. So you're allowed friends of the opposite sex but I'm not?" he challenged.

Katherine's eyes narrowed. "Of course you're allowed a female friend, but not one who's so _clingy_." She said, sitting up, straightening her wrinkled clothes.

Damon ran a hand violently through his friend. "Don't control me, Katherine, I won't allow it. I run my life, not you." he snapped.

Katherine huffed. "What, you're siding with _her_? God, Damon! I'm your _fiancée!_"

"And she's my best friend! If you can't accept her, then where does that leave us?" he hit a nerve. She froze with shock and there were tears welling up in her eyes.

"Are…are you breaking up with me? Because of HER?" she shrieked and she stamped her foot.

"I'm not breaking up with you! I'm giving you the chance to accept Elena as part of my life!" he started to shout.

Katherine huffed again. "Damon, leave me alone, okay? When you build a back bone and grow up, call me!" she cried.

Damon caught her arm before she left. "I'm not the one who needs to build a back bone and grow up." He growled, low and dangerous. Katherine's mouth fell open and she yanked her arm out of his grasp and ran from the room.

_This is turning out to be a really shit day,_ Damon thought, as he rubbed his face. _I've upset my best friend TWICE and now pissed off my fiancée._ Damon fought against the tears that were threatening to fall. He hated crying and never did cry and he wasn't going to start now. He threw out his arms dramatically, groaning loudly.

All Damon wanted to do was go to sleep and pretend he's just having a bad dream. He picked up his phone and bit his lip. He walked to his window to see Katherine getting a lift from Stefan. His brother looked up, with an expression of disapproval which said, _'we'll talk later'._ He rolled his eyes and walked away from the window.

Damon looked back down at his phone again. Groaning loudly, he scrolled through his phone until he reached Elena's number. He pressed the dial button and waited.

It rang and rang and rang. Then finally, Elena answered. "Yes?" she sighed into the phone.

"You're right; we do need to talk."

Elena was quiet. "What now?" she asked and Damon could almost see the raised eyebrow.

"Katherine and I have had an argument." He said, ignoring her question.

"What about? What type of decoration for your wedding?" Elena scoffed.

Damon ground his teeth. He wasn't in the mood for Elena to be difficult. "No, it was about you, actually." He sneered, hoping to hit a nerve. He did; Elena was silent.

All he could hear was Elena's quiet breathing. "I'm sorry." She whispered and Damon thought he could hear both sadness and guilt in her voice, and he regretted saying what he did. "I'm causing you trouble. Maybe you and I shouldn't be friends anymore." She suggested glumly.

Damon's stomach churned painfully. "No, Elena, no, I don't want to stop being friends with you." he spoke desperately.

Elena sighed. "Damon, I'm causing fights between you and Katherine and I'm not even there. It's going to be best all round."

Damon swallowed back the lump. "No, Elena, please say you're joking." Then he heard nothing. "Hello? Elena? Elena!" he shouted, but nothing. He looked at the screen and it was back to the previous menu.

Immediately, Damon called her back. This time Elena didn't pick up the phone. _I'm not giving up._ As he found Elena's home number, a sudden thought hit him.

_Why am I acting like this? Like I'm breaking up with her?_ Damon asked himself.

_Because she's your best friend?_ A part of his brain offered. Damon went with that but wasn't convinced. He rang Elena's home number. It was her brother, Jeremy that answered.

"Hello?"

"Could you get Elena please? It's Damon." he said shortly.

Jeremy scoffed. "No, 'hello, how are you?' Why don't you call her mobile?" he asked.

"Because." He said, not wanting to explain himself. "Now get Elena please." He ordered, as patiently as he could muster. All he heard then was soft footsteps.

"Elena, it's Damon." Jeremy called. It was silent for a moment. "She doesn't want to talk to you, Damon." he sneered.

Damon was losing patience. "Well, ask her again. Say that it is urgent." He said slowly. It was silent again, whilst Jeremy spoke to Elena.

Jeremy spoke to Damon again. "Nope. She still doesn't want to speak to you."

"Fine, thanks for nothing." Damon finally snapped and hung up angrily.

Damon fell onto his bed and closed his eyes. What had he done to deserve a day like this? He thought that it was his punishment for not appreciating the sort of friend he had in Elena and now he'd lost her. But he was going to get her back.

He rolled onto his side and texted Elena. _I'm not going to give up. I'm sorry. I want to talk. I'll keep texting and ringing until you answer. You know how stubborn I can be._

Then his phone rang.

* * *

><p><strong>So how was it? Please let me know. I hope it wasn't too much…?<strong>

**Please review!**

**Bye!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks for the reviews! Glad you liked the previous chapters! Okay, so here you go with chapter 4. Hope it's okay! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own TVD.**

* * *

><p>Damon jumped as the phone continued to ring. He picked up the phone and could have cried when he saw who it was. Not with happiness, but with annoyance and irritation. It was Stefan, who was ringing.<p>

Angrily, he answered the phone. "What?"

"No need to be angry with me." his brother told him.

Damon closed his eyes tightly. "Whatever, Stefan. What do you want?"

"Katherine told me what you said to her."

"Oh, I very much doubt it, Stefan. She probably told you a pack of lies and hope you fell for it." Damon said. He knew it was unfair but he didn't care right now.

Stefan sighed on the other end. "Damon, we'll talk when I get back." and he hung up. Damon rolled his eyes as he slammed his phone down.

XxX

Elena was sat on her bed, looking at a poster on the wall. She looked down at her lap, and read the text she just got from Damon. She knew that he wouldn't give up. But why can't he give it some time? She had made a promise to herself to forget about him until tomorrow. Take Bonnie's advice. But he's making it near impossible.

She sighed and pulled her legs to lie down. She faintly wondered whether Damon would take it that step further and come here. He's already rung her home number.

Why can't he leave her alone? Sure, she felt terrible about the argument between him and Katherine, really, she did. She sighed again heavily and loudly. Elena got up and walked to her DVD collection and decided that a good movie might just take her mind off things.

_Hmm, what to choose. No very sad films that make you cry. That rules out a lot. No musicals. No scary films. A funny film. _Elena's finger stopped on a movie that seemed to fit perfectly. It was funny, and wasn't too romantic. _Mean Girls._ She grinned widely and put her DVD in to the laptop. She set up full screen and lay on her stomach, watching the film.

She liked it because of how any teenage girl can in some way relate to this film. Especially the different cliques in schools. Most schools had a group of girls who were the 'popular ones' or just mean girls. She realised that she was part of the popular group at her school. But not on the scale of Regina George. Most schools also had the jocks or the footballers. Some also had the emo or gothic groups. She smiled when she thought how Jeremy fitted in with the emo group. She did agree, though, that not all schools had the wide range of cliques that the school in Mean Girls had.

Her plan worked. She was distracted. It nearly failed when they introduced the character, Aaron Samuels. He reminded her loosely of Damon but she forced herself not to think about that.

By the end of the movie, she was in a good mood – until her phone buzzed. She picked it up to see she had a message from Stefan.

The text read; _Damon's doing my head in. will you please ring or text him? Xx. _She started laughing. Poor Stefan. But she wasn't going to ring or text; she was going on Facebook.

She loaded up Facebook and scrolled down the front page. She rolled her eyes at some of the lame status' people had put up. In the search bar, she typed in Damon's name and clicked it. She clicked on the button to send him a private message, when a chat box popped up on the screen at the bottom of the browser. It was a Facebook chat message from Damon.

**Damon:** So you can go on Facebook but can't return my calls?

**Elena:** I was coming on here to talk to you, you jackass.

**Damon:** Oh, right. But the problem is still there. I've rung you twice in the past hour or so.

**Elena:** I was watching Mean Girls.

**Damon:** Again?

**Elena:** It's a film I will never tire of. Damien is awesome.

The conversation went on like that for a good half an hour. No anger or upset; just two friends talking. Until Damon brought up the matter:

**Damon: **Elena, about earlier today…

**Elena:** Don't, Damon. It's good that I'm talking to you now. Don't spoil it.

**Damon:** I just think we should talk about it.

**Elena: **No. not on Facebook. FB is not the place where you have a heart-to-heart conversation.

**Damon:** Fine. On the phone?

Elena checked the time on her computer.

**Elena:** 10.00 at night? Tomorrow. I'm not working tomorrow and neither are you. So tomorrow. At midday in the Mystic Grill. That's my only offer.

**Damon:** Okay. Tomorrow it is then.

XxX

The front door slammed and Damon listened as he heard heavy footsteps on the stairs. A few moments later, Stefan appeared in Damon's room.

"So what happened?" he asked.

Damon looked up lazily, his head and shoulders resting against the wall behind his bed. "What did she tell you?"

Stefan smiled coldly. "No, Damon. I want to hear your story first."

Damon sighed. "Okay, so we were on my bed…erm…doing stuff and I got a text. She let me check it, whilst she kissed my neck. She asked what the text was about and I told her the truth. That it was a text from Elena. Then she started insulting her, saying she's clingy and stuff like that. I told her that she has to accept that Elena is a part of my life and always will be. Then she went completely mad, saying how I'm not to talk to her until I grow a back bone and grow up. But I'm not the one who needs to grow a back bone and grow up. Like I told her." he finished his story. "Now, who do you believe? Your brother or your brother's fiancée?"

"So basically, you two fell out…over Elena?" Stefan clarified.

Damon smiled. "Yes. Now don't you go telling me that I was unreasonable. I've known Elena much longer than I've known Katherine. It would be stupid to break friends with Elena just because of Katherine." He warned.

Stefan laughed. "I wasn't. I've known Elena for years too; she's my friend too. And to answer your previous a question, Katherine actually told me what you told me, with a few differences here and then. Only not as detailed. She just said you were siding with Elena unfairly."

Damon shook his head. "I'm not talking to her. I'm not being unreasonable."

"You won't have to. I'll talk to her." Stefan said. Damon didn't say anything. _Something's wrong,_ Stefan thought. Stefan sat on Damon's bed, which caused his brother to look at him with a raised eyebrow. "What else has happened?"

"I've already told you. Katherine –"

"No, I don't mean that. Something else has happened which is why you've got a miserable expression on your face." Stefan said.

Damon sighed heavily. "Fine. Elena and I have been rowing too. Now she won't text or call or anything. I've tried but she won't return my calls or texts."

Stefan cleared his throat patiently. "Okay. Don't shout but it does sound like you two are behaving like a couple of five year olds. So you've argued and now she won't speak to you."

Damon looked at his brother. He couldn't say what they rowed about, could he? That would mean confessing that he's been practically cheating on his fiancée.

"I've tried. But she won't talk to me. What am I supposed to do?" he asked.

Stefan smiled. "Leave it to your younger brother." He said, winking. He got up and brought out his phone. He walked off tapping away on his phone.

XxX

Monday morning and Elena Gilbert rarely went together peacefully. She woke up groggily, groaning as she rolled over to meet the blaring sun that shone through the curtains. She peered at the clock. It was 10.30. Her brain was also groggy and she was sure she had something planned today. Then she remembered; she was meeting Damon today.

_Shit!_ And she jumped out the bed quickly and yanked open the wardrobe. She wasn't sure why she was so panicked. She didn't live that far from the Mystic Grill. It wouldn't take her long to drive there. So there was no real reason to be so nervous and panicky. But she then wondered if it was because she was seeing Damon. She put it down to that. She thought it to be plausible.

An hour later and she was ready. She walked out the front door and thought about driving there or to just walk there. She decided on driving when she saw that she only had 25 minutes until she had to meet Damon.

Elena got into her car and put the radio on. The radio station that was on was playing aload of cheesy 90s songs – the present one being Barbie Girl. Elena cringed and hastily switched it to another one. This one was playing a song by a British singer called Adele. The song was called Chasing Pavements. She listened to the words quietly and realised it related to her quite well.

10 minutes later and she was at the Grill. She got out and saw that Damon hadn't arrived yet. Elena hovered awkwardly outside when she saw a guy smiling at her. Blushing slightly, she smiled back.

The man walked towards her and introduced himself. "I'm Dan. And who are you, pretty lady?" he asked. _Forward and seemingly confident. Also charming._

"I'm Elena. I'm sorry but I'm waiting for a friend of mine." She said, and she began to feel a little uncomfortable. He came closer towards her and the discomfort increased. Dan put one hand on the wall behind her, to the right of her head. "Could you go away?" she said more firmly.

"The lady said to for you to go away." Another man said. She recognised the voice, of course. It was Damon. Dan looked at Damon in a very cocky sort of way.

"And what are you going to do about it?" he asked.

Damon smirked. "You don't want to know." he hissed. Dan's eyes showed fear and silently moved away. Damon turned immediately to Elena. "Are you okay?" he asked.

Elena smiled. "I'm fine. He's just being a jerk. Shall we go in?" she said and they walked in.

They got drinks and they sat in a secluded corner so they could talk. "So what happened yesterday between you and Katherine?"

Damon laughed. "You don't want to know. She's just being a bit grumpy, that's all."

Elena wasn't happy. "But you said it was about me. I don't want her shouting at me and for me to not be able to defend myself."

Damon shook his head. "It's honestly nothing. It was just that she was getting annoyed because I text you a lot and you text me. She'd just being silly. She'll come round." He hoped she'd drop it now. She seemed to.

Elena bit her lip. "Damon, about yesterday, the…kiss." She whispered, looking at her drink.

He ran his hand through his hair. "I know. I don't know what happened."

Elena smiled a small smile. "It's okay. I kissed you anyway. It's just…you're engaged. I'm confused, Damon. If you're engaged to Katherine and you love her, why did you kiss me back? Why did you go to kiss me when I was at your house?" she asked gently.

Damon looked into Elena's eyes. "Believe me, Elena, I'm confused too. But I could ask you the same thing. Why did _you_ kiss _me_?" he questioned.

Elena's heart stopped…then started again. "I have no idea." She lied. Of course she knew; she loved him, but she couldn't tell him that.

She bit her lip as she waited for Damon to speak. Finally he did. "Well, something must have caused. You don't kiss your engaged best friend on a whim." He said harshly.

Elena was taken aback by Damon's tone. "Well, the said engaged person does not try to kiss their best friend." She hissed.

Damon closed his eyes and sighed. "Let's not fight, Elena. I've had so many over the past couple of days. He opened his eyes.

Elena got up. "If we can't have a civilised conversation without it leading to an argument, then I may as well leave." She said.

Damon reached out and took her hand. "No, Elena. We agreed to talk and here we are. So, let's get this sorted. Please?" he asked. Elena sighed and sat down. "Right. I think we've established that there's…something between us…more than just best friends."

_Yeah, I knew that years ago,_ Elena thought irritably. Elena didn't say anything to Damon's comment.

Damon went on. "We can't ignore it."

Elena groaned. "We have to. In case you were unaware, you get married in a month." She said, ignoring the pang in her chest.

Damon looked away. "I know. But…ugh! I don't know!" he said leaning back. Then he suddenly leaned in close. "What am I to you, Elena? Do you see me as a brother? A best friend? More?"

Elena tried to ignore his intensive stare. "You're my best friend ever. You're a big part of my life." She said, hoping he hadn't realised that she avoided all the questions.

Damon hadn't. "Yes, but that doesn't answer the question."

"Well, what am I to you then?" she asked, searching his face.

Damon's eyes flickered. "I…can't answer that."

Elena laughed humourlessly. "Exactly. Then I don't have to answer that then." Elena looked around the Grill. "Can't we go somewhere else? I don't like talking about this in public. Anyone could be listening." She whispered.

Damon nodded silently. They got in their separate cars and Elena followed Damon to his house. When they arrived, Elena took as much time as possible. Finally, she walked to Damon.

"Where's Stefan?" she asked, wanting to distract Damon as much as she could.

"With Matt. Some football game or something." He shrugged nonchalantly. Elena smiled fondly.

Once they were in his room, Damon turned to her. "Now, no playing games, Elena." He said, smoothly.

"I won't if you won't." she folded her arms stubbornly across her chest. She exhaled deeply. "Can't we go back to the way things were?" she begged. It was so much easier on her – partially, at least.

Damon shook his head. "No. Not now. Not until we get this sorted." He replied. Then, "Elena, do you love me?"

Elena started to panic. "Of course I do. You're my best friend."

Damon glared slightly. "I don't mean _that_ sort of love. I mean, _in_ love." He said impatiently.

Elena stared at him then lied – again. "No." she couldn't wreck his life. He loved Katherine and Katherine loved him. It was simple as that – for them, anyway.

Damon looked at her quietly. "Okay, so this doesn't affect you in anyway." He said stepping closer with each word. Elena froze as he cupped her cheek and leaned in closer. "None of this affects you?" he breathed, his breath fanning her face. Eventually, their lips met. The kiss started off slow and sweet but turned more urgent as time went on. Elena's hands went to his hair and Damon's went to her sides.

All too soon, Damon pulled away, smirking. "So you weren't affected?" he said, as he leaned his forehead against hers.

Elena tried to lie again. "Damon, you're hot. You know that, I know that, every straight girl knows that, and gay men know that too. Just because a kiss from you affects me doesn't mean I'm in love with you." she tried to convince him. "Anyway, what about you?" she asked.

Damon smiled. "Well, you're hot too. So, yeah, you're a good kisser." He shrugged. Slowly, his hand ventured down to stroke her sides. Elena tried to repress the shiver.

Elena moved away. "Damon, you said to not play games. And here you are, playing games. You're playing with fire here. Anytime, your brother could walk in at the wrong moment. Now you, stop playing games." She said, standing away from him.

Damon sighed and looked at the floor. "Elena, you're different to Katherine. You're smarter for starters." He smiled and so did Elena. "And you're gorgeous too. I'm confused, you know? I love Katherine but I obviously like you too." _Like_, she thought bitterly.

Elena looked at Damon, folding her arms. She wanted him so badly but she couldn't – not when he was already taken.

"You want me. I can see it in your eyes." he smirked.

"You cocky bastard." Elena sneered.

Damon grinned. "It's true though." She was fighting a losing battle. She knew it. Crystal blue eyes met chocolate brown. He was playing games but she was losing the will power to turn and walk out the door. Elena used the last of her energy to look away. Damon sighed. "Elena…" he moaned.

"I've got to go. You're confused, you said yourself, which is obviously causing you to be delusional, so I'll leave you to let you think." She said, as she walked past.

Damon grabbed Elena's arm and she looked up at him. He pushed her against the wall roughly and kissed her again. This time, it was all passion and Elena couldn't help but kiss back. Their tongues had already met and now fought for dominance. Damon broke away to kiss Elena's neck and she moaned softly. She brought her hands down to Damon's jacket and pushed it over his shoulders. Damon assisted by dropping his arms so Elena could discard the jacket. Slowly, Elena started to unbutton his shirt as Damon caught her lips in another searing kiss.

Unfortunately, the inevitable happened. They both jumped apart when they heard the front door slam. At lightning speed, they quickly tidied themselves down. Elena rearranged her hair, and fixed her clothes, whilst Damon did up his shirt again, and put his jacket on.

Without a word, they went to see who it was. They saw Stefan walking across the landing. "What happened with you two? I tried ringing you both but no luck." He raised his eyebrows questioningly.

Damon and Elena exchanged uncertain looks. "Sorry, we…uhh…got carried away, chatting." Elena lied, uncomfortably. Stefan nodded and her heart bled. She hated lying, especially to Stefan. She lied to Damon for his sake. Now all that seemed to be for nothing. "I've got to go." She said. She said bye to the two brothers and when she was out of sight, she ran to her car, tears streaming down her face.

When she got in, she drove out of the Salvatore grounds, and just cried. She couldn't believe that she had basically been seduced into betraying Katherine by Damon! What was happening to her? She couldn't understand it. She thought about avoiding him, but she's tried that and it failed. She didn't know what to do.

When she arrived home, Caroline was just getting to the front door of the house. Elena did her best to hide the fact that she'd been crying, and when she thought she looked okay, she got out the car.

Caroline turned around at the noise and gasped. "You've been crying! What's happened?" she demanded. _Great._

* * *

><p><strong>Tell me what you thought! So, yeah, when I was writing part of this, I was watching Mean Girls. The reason why Elena is watching it in this chapter. I love that movie and I could watch it loads of times and not get bored.<strong>

**Anyway, I hope you liked it! Tell me your thoughts about it.**

**Review!**

**Bye!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Lool! I don't know what that was either lol. OH! OMG! Okay! I just remembered something! At work there's someone there called Damen! Yeah, I know it's spelt differently but still! I couldn't stop smiling! He doesn't look like **_**Damon**_** though but you can't have everything. Yeah, I know, it's silly, but you know, simple minds and all that LOL!**

**Uhh, okay, I'm bored and slightly hyped up. So, I'll let you all read this chapter, and I hope you like it!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own TVD!**

* * *

><p>Katherine ran downstairs, upset at her argument with Damon. <em>He's such a loser!<em> She thought angrily. Then she realised; she got here in Damon's car; she could hardly go upstairs to ask him to give her a lift home.

Katherine bit her lip worriedly. "Are you alright?" a kind, concerned voice asked. She turned and it was Stefan. She smiled.

"Could you give me a lift home? Damon and I have had an argument." She hung her head glumly.

Stefan smiled at her. "Of course. Come on." he said.

Katherine grinned at him and she followed him out to his car. She got in the passenger seat and waited for Stefan to get into the driver's seat. Eventually he did, and as he started up the engine, she began watching him out the corner of her eye.

He was gorgeous; there was no doubt in her mind. Just like his brother. She began to wonder whether Stefan was better looking, and decided it was a close run thing. She bit her lip again but this time, it was in a flirtatious sort of way.

"So what was the row about?" he asked after a few moments.

Katherine snapped out of her daydream. "Oh, it was about Elena. He was taking her side in a conversation rather than mine and it hurt me."

Stefan looked over at the girl that he's secretly loved for the past year, or so. "Katherine, you've got to understand that he and Elena were close friends before you and him started dating. Elena is going to be a part of his life no matter what happens. And Elena is a lovely girl; if you were to give her a chance, I'm sure you'd be the best of friends." Stefan told her gently.

Katherine smiled again. "I know but, it's just that…sometimes I think that he prefers her to me. It's selfish and silly, I know." she said looking at her hands.

Stefan looked straight out at the road. "Don't be silly. You're a lovely girl with a fantastic personality." He said, trying to let his true feelings shine through a little.

Katherine's head snapped round and stared into his emerald orbs. "Do you mean that?" she asked. They had pulled up in front of her house and she hadn't realised.

Stefan stared back. "Of course I mean that." he breathed out. They remained like that for a while. Katherine looked down blushing.

"Thank you, Stefan, that means a lot to me." she grinned graciously. Stefan out his hand out to touch her hair and she unconsciously leaned into his touch.

Suddenly, Damon popped into her head. She had forgotten about him. Katherine pulled away. "Umm, could you talk to Damon? Ask him to call me or something. Thanks, Stefan." And she quickly got out of his car.

XxX

Caroline looked at Elena with wide eyes. When Elena didn't say anything, Caroline grabbed her hand. "Elena, what's wrong?" she asked gently. Elena looked down at their joined hands then up to her blonde friend's face. _I can trust her,_ she thought, _after all, I've known her since kindergarten._

"Okay, if I tell you, do you promise never to tell anyone? Not even Matt?" she stared into Caroline's eyes. She took a while to answer.

Then she sighed. "This is big, isn't it?"

Elena nodded glumly. "It is. You can't tell anyone. Well, Bonnie knows, so you can talk to her about it."

Caroline felt hurt that she wasn't told first, but her rational side told her that if it was this big, Elena wouldn't tell anyone straight away. Caroline nodded quietly and the two girls went into the house. Silently, they went to Elena's room and Elena sat cross-legged on her bed. Caroline hesitated for a moment then sat on the bed next to Elena.

Elena went through everything that's happened between her and Damon. Caroline gasped in the correct places. When Elena had finished, Caroline's final reaction was quite different to Bonnie's. Caroline looked ready to squeal.

"Oh my God! He so likes you!" Caroline squeaked.

Elena shook her head incredulously. "No, Caroline, you don't understand. This isn't brilliant or anything! This is the opposite. Don't you get it? He's engaged to Katherine, and he's playing around with me on the side. I feel dirty and used."

Caroline rolled her eyes. "Elena, you are completely overreacting and being melodramatic. It's not like he's raped you. Freaking hell, Elena, he's kissed you a few times, and the two of you did it a couple of years ago. Oh, I see what you mean." She frowned. Elena raised one eyebrow and she was sure she heard a penny drop – metaphorically speaking, of course. "This is big." She sighed thoughtfully.

"But what do I do? I asked Bonnie and she said to talk to him and look where it's got me. Nearly getting caught out by his brother!" she said, covering her face with her hands. She then felt arms around her and guessed she was being hugged.

Caroline pulled away. "Look, by the sounds of it, Damon is genuinely confused. He's not doing this to use you or anything like that. Perhaps you should see what his genuine feelings are to _you_. See if he just fancies you or…more.

"What I mean is...try dating someone. Go out on a date with someone. Or if you're not prepared to do that, make him choose between you and Katherine." Caroline tried but Elena didn't like her suggestions. Especially the blatant make-him-jealous idea. That's just going to cause a load of tension and there was already too much of that for Elena to handle.

Caroline knew what Elena was thinking. "I know it doesn't sound good, but this could be what solves everything." She urged. Caroline rubbed her friend's arm gently.

XxX The Next Day XxX

Damon was sat silently in the armchair in the drawing room, a glass of whiskey in his hand. He was on his own; Stefan was somewhere but Damon couldn't be bothered right now.

He missed Elena and that bothered him. The look on her face as she left the house yesterday morning haunted him. She looked ashamed and extremely guilty. He felt terrible with how he was making her feel. Putting her through this because of his ridiculous male urges. Did this mean he couldn't handle a serious relationship? Or the idea of marriage and commitment? If he was marrying Elena rather than Katherine, would he be straying from Elena? He wasn't sure.

Damon knew that a certain question would come up at some point. He knew that at some point, Elena would make him choose.

He groaned loudly and got up to get himself another drink. The whiskey burned his throat as he swallowed. It was a weirdly nice feeling though, like the first hot drink of the day.

A loud knock at the door made him nearly drop his drink. He sighed impatiently, putting his drink on the sideboard. He got to the door and opened it to find Elena there.

But she didn't look happy. "Treat me like you did yesterday and you'll find that you won't be able to have children in the future." She threatened and Damon crossed his legs subconsciously. Elena smirked.

"I'm sorry, okay?"

"And you think that suddenly everything is going to be okay?" she said.

Damon shrugged. "Of course not." He muttered.

Elena watched him carefully. "What's going on in that head of yours?" she asked, running a hand gently through his hair, feeling concerned. Damon started to lean against her touch and she pulled her hand away hastily.

"I have no idea." He sighed.

"No, nor me." she whispered.

Damon stepped to one side. "Do you want to come in?" Elena hesitated then finally nodded. She walked to the drawing room, with Damon following. He picked up his drink from the sideboard. "Want a drink?" he asked.

Elena hesitated again then shook her head. "No, I don't think so." She said. She sat down on the sofa and Damon was sat opposite on the armchair. It was awkward between them, as Elena fiddled nervously with the hem on her top.

Damon exhaled irritably. "This is silly." He muttered.

Elena looked at him sympathetically. "So…you and Katherine made up yet?" she asked conversationally.

Damon shrugged. "Well, I haven't spoken to her." he said. He looked over at Elena. "What are we doing? We should be able to talk freely and here we are, drowning in awkwardness."

Elena narrowed her eyes. "Yeah, well everything changes when the relationship takes an unexpected turn." She retorted. Damon glared. "Do you love Katherine?" she suddenly asked.

Damon looked shocked. "What?"

"I said do you love Katherine?" she asked, a bit louder this time.

Damon continued. "Yes…uhh…no…" he stammered. Elena watched her best friend and sighed. Then, Damon got up and sat next to Elena. Unconsciously, Elena edged away slightly. "For God's sake, I'm not going to pounce on you." he rolled his eyes.

Elena's heart fluttered when she thought about what she was going to say. "Good. Don't know what I'd tell Dan otherwise." She said.

Damon's eyes flashed. "What?" he said through ground teeth.

Elena felt nervous all of a sudden. "Yes, that guy I met yesterday. We started talking. I found out he's distantly related to Matt. Huh. What are the chances?" she said quickly.

Damon continued to stare, his heart pounding. "That guy who forced himself on you?" he questioned, his voice sounding angry.

Elena's heart began hammering too. "It was my mistake. I sent off the wrong signals."

Damon suddenly stood up. "Of course, that's what he was _bound_ to say! It was your entire fault, not his!" he growled, running his hand violently through his hair.

Elena felt scared, but she knew he wouldn't do anything to her. He never raised a hand to a woman. But when he was angry, it scared her, no matter what. "He didn't put all the blame on me. He said, that he was partial to blame." She said, standing up to stand her ground.

Damon laughed without humour. "Partial? All he wants from you is your body!" he said the wrong thing there.

Elena glared. "Oh? You hypocrite! And what about you? You haven't been coming on to me?"

Damon shook his head. "Yeah, but at least I know you! You've known him five minutes and now you're an item!"

"Oh, so you're allowed a partner but not me? Well, fine! Be like that!" she shouted and she stormed out the house.

It took a moment for Damon to realise what happened. He argued with her because she was seeing someone. But why shouldn't she see someone? Like she said, he has someone, why can't she have someone? There was a feeling in his chest that he couldn't work out. He felt a pain in his heart.

_Ridiculous,_ he thought, as he downed the last of his whiskey. _She's like a sister. Of course, I feel protective of her._ Then a snide, little voice intervened, _oh yeah? You normally kiss relatives then?_ Damon shuddered. That voice was right. He wouldn't kiss her if she was like a sister. _Wrong on so many levels._

So what was this feeling?

Jealousy?

XxX

Elena walked to her car but she wasn't crying. Just angry. _How dare he tell me who I may or may not date?_ Elena thought, as she angrily turned on the ignition. She drove back home and she sat in her car for a while. She had texted Caroline to say there plan was in motion.

Elena was persuaded to go out with someone different to see how Damon would react. Angrily, it seems. She also asked Bonnie to meet up as well. They were going to stop by her house in five minutes. She remained in her car, because it was private, away from Aunt Jenna and Jeremy.

There was a tap at the window. She turned to see Bonnie and Caroline waving. Elena nodded towards her car, in an indication to get in. They did so, and they both got in the back seat.

"So? What happened?" Caroline asked.

Elena spun round to face them. "I told him that I was seeing someone called Dan and then he went completely ballistic."

Bonnie grinned. "Are you really seeing someone?" she asked.

"Kind of. I met him yesterday but he kind of forced himself on me. That's probably why Damon got upset." She shrugged.

Caroline smiled. "Yeah. Either that, or he's green with jealousy."

Elena rolled her eyes. "He has Katherine." She reminded them.

Bonnie sighed. "Yeah, that means nothing." She retorted, folding her arms.

Elena sighed, feeling frustrated. "Okay, so now what do I do?" she asked.

It was silent in the car as they thought. "Go to the Grill. See if we can find this Dan person." Caroline said. Just as she said that, Elena's phone rang. She picked it up and Caroline peered over to have a look at the screen. It was Damon. "Answer it. See what he wants." Elena saluted her sarcastically.

"Yes, Damon?" Elena said sounding bored. Secretly, she put it on speaker.

"Where are you?"

"With Bonnie and Caroline. Why? What's it to you?" she asked rudely.

She heard Damon sigh on the other end. "Because I…care about you. I don't like the sound of this Dan person."

Elena rolled her eyes as Bonnie and Caroline smiled identical grins. "Gosh, this is Jeremy's job to be the annoying, protective person in my life. Not yours." She said disapprovingly. "Besides, you needn't worry, should you, as you have Katherine."

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

"I wasn't like this when you started dating Katherine, even when I had a proper reason to." She said harshly, and then smacked her hand to her mouth. Silence fell.

"What do you mean?" he said quietly.

"I've got to go." She squeaked and she hung up.

Bonnie looked at Elena shocked. "You've done it now. You practically told him that you love him." she breathed.

Caroline nodded. "Now you have to tell him before he works it out for himself." She said.

Elena looked between her two best friends, her hand on her chin. "I knew I'd have to." She groaned.

* * *

><p><strong>Sooooo, what did you think? Let me know your thoughts! I hoped you liked my little bit of Steferine I added in.<strong>

**I'll update ASAP!**

**Review!**

**Bye!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Thanks for the reviews! Here's a chapter. Yeah, I know it's short but I hope it's okay. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own TVD.**

* * *

><p>Elena stood in front of the mirror in her room, trying to decide what to do. Caroline and Bonnie had left about an hour ago. She kept ignoring any calls and texts from anyone, which would mean from Damon too. She knew she now had no choice but to tell him the truth. That she loved him. She cocked her head to one side and bit her lip. Her gaze drifted to outside as she began to think about what she was going to say to Damon. She was going to make him choose. Give him until the wedding. That should be long enough. She thought about how this could be the last month she ever sees him. She had made a promise that if he chose Katherine, that she would move away. Far away. Another state, or even another country, with or without Bonnie and Caroline. A fresh start. Seemed like a good plan. She hoped it wouldn't have to be that way. She loved Mystic Falls. She grew up there; she'd hate to move.<p>

She looked at herself in the mirror again. "It will be good." she said to no one in particular. "Then everything is out in the open. It's then up to him to decide what to do." she told herself out loud. She nodded and walked away. As she walked past her bedside table, she paused. What she saw was a photo in a frame. She picked it up and it was her and Damon. She smiled happily as she looked at it. Delicately, she stroked the image of Damon and put it back. "It's time for you to decide now. It's up to you." she whispered.

She frowned. When had she started doing her own monologues? She guessed that most people talk to themselves, especially if they have a big decision to make. She left her room slowly and walked out the front door. She took her time as she chose the radio station in her car, driving slowly as she drove the quiet roads of Mystic Falls.

Finally, she was outside Damon's house. "Elena!" a voice called. She turned to see Stefan running towards her. She had never been happier than to see her adoptive big brother. She hugged him tightly then looked up at him sadly. "What's wrong?" Stefan asked urgently.

"Stefan, oh, I've said something really stupid. I've kind of, nearly told Damon...my feelings for him." Elena whispered the last part.

Stefan shook his head. "You silly girl. Anyway, it might be good. Because God might look down at us and smile, and you tell Damon your feelings and then you two get together, leaving the path clear for Katherine and me." he joked and Elena smiled. "But then again, pigs might fly." Stefan said sadly. Elena smiled sadly and rubbed his arm.

"Thanks, Stefan. Well, I've got to go and make a complete idiot of myself. Bye." she smiled gravely and walked up to the house.

Elena's fist was hovering over the door before she eventually knocked. Shortly after, Damon opened the door. He smiled awkwardly and stepped aside silently. Elena's heart pounded loudly in her ears, as she walked past him. Damon sped past her, leading her to his bedroom. Elena had a feeling of deja vu, as she generally did whenever this happened.

Damon closed the door behind them and turned to Elena. "Okay, Elena. Talk to me. What the freaking hell were you talking about? How you had a reason for not taking to Katherine?" he asked.

Elena stood with her hands clasped together, hanging in front of her. "Are you sure you want to know?"

Damon stared. "Of course, Elena." he muttered.

Elena looked at him and finally sat on his bed. "I love you." she finally confessed. Then, with a new found courage and determination, she stared up at him. "I'm in love with you and I have been since before you and Katherine."

Damon gazed at Elena dumbfounded. "You...you love me?" he stammered.

Elena raised an eyebrow. "You're really shocked? Wow. But yes, I do." she shrugged. Damon remained looking shocked.

"Is that why you reacted the way you did when Katherine asked you to be her bridesmaid?" he asked quietly.

Elena watched as he paced around the room. "Yes. It killed me inside every time I saw you too together. No, Damon," she held a hand up when Damon opened his mouth to speak, "you want the truth, I'll give you the truth." she said sternly. Damon closed his mouth again. Elena stood up and walked to the window.

"Do you remember that day you announced that you and Katherine were dating? You told me that you had something to tell me. I thought that it was that my unrequited love was to be requited at last," she laughed without humour, "of course it wasn't. You were so happy. I knew I could never make you that happy. So I kept it bottled up – until Stefan noticed a change in me. Eventually, we had a heart-to-heart and he was the first person I told. Then I told Bonnie and Caroline at some point."

"My brother knew and never _told_ me?" Damon said, shocked.

Elena sighed impatiently. "Don't be an idiot, Damon." she snapped. She breathed slowly then spoke again. "Look, work it out, Damon. I begged him not to tell you. Bonnie, Caroline and Stefan are the only ones who know. And now, you, of course.

"As you can understand, it was even worse when you announced that you were engaged. And how much it hurt when you didn't remember about that night. How it hurt even more when you say that you did know." she said, looking at him accusingly. Damon dropped his head shamefully.

Elena turned back to looking out the window – looking at the wildlife in trees outside. "Can you imagine how it feels to watch someone you love love another? It's painful beyond belief." she said, tears welling up.

Damon stayed silent. "Why did you never tell me?" he whispered sounding pained. "I thought something was up but I pushed it aside."

Elena looked at him incredulously. "Oh? What would you have done if I told you? You'd say that you love Katherine." she told him.

"So you tell me a month before my wedding." he sneered harshly.

Elena's heart ached. How could he be so...cruel? "How dare you? It's been gnawing at me for over three years! Everyday I've wanted to tell you, but I've been selfless enough to not tell you because of your relationship." she cried. "It's your fault! Why did you have to be so...so...perfect? You bastard!" she screamed, and she collapsed onto her knees, crying. Damon's mouth dropped open. He stood awkwardly then dropped down next to her, hugging her. "Why couldn't I have gone for...Stefan or...or Tyler? Or some random guy at school? It had to be you!" she cried. Damon came to the conclusion that she was mainly yelling at herself.

Damon stroked her arm gently. Elena looked into his eyes and shuffled away from him. "Go away, Damon. Don't make it worse!" she cried. Damon moved away, watching her, with his back against the wall. He wanted to take her pain away. He knew _how_ to do it, but he needed to be sure of himself first. Elena pulled her knees to her chest and she looked like a vulnerable child. Damon realised this was well over three years worth of emotions coming through.

Elena finally calmed down and looked across at Damon. "I tried so hard to move on. That guy, Dan, I met him again. But it wasn't the same. I kept comparing him to you and it was ridiculous. So I told him the truth. That I loved someone else. He's a nice guy, actually. He understood." she smiled wetly. She bit her lip, looking more vulnerable. She sniffed heavily

Elena sighed heavily. "So, you know now. I bet you're not going to do anything about it. Well, I won't let you. Over the past few days, you have been playing with me and I had no idea where I a with you. So you need to decide. It's okay though. You have from now until your wedding." she told him, as she stood up. "You have to make your mind up; it's me or Katherine. I can't live like this anymore, Damon." she said weakly. She crouched down in front of him and took hold of both his hands. "I love you more than anything. But, I can't just be your friend. I've done so for so many years, but I just simply can't and now you have to choose." she said, with a hand on his cheek, wiping away a few tears that had fallen from Damon's blue eyes. She stood up, dropping his hands. Elena turned around and moved to the door.

"Elena..." Damon said, trailing off. Elena stopped and turned to look at him. "Thanks for being honest." he said, looking over at me. Elena smiled and left.

* * *

><p><strong>What did you think? Was it too short? Tell me what you thought.<strong>

**So I have an idea of doing a sequel but in a way like an alternate ending to this story, if that makes sense. If you like that idea, then I'll upload it as soon as this story is done. :)**

**Okay, I hope you liked it!**

**Review!**

**Bye!**


End file.
